Both the special sciences and ordinary experience suggest that there are metaphysically emergent entities and features: macroscopic goings-on (including mountains, trees, humans, and sculptures, and their characteristic properties) which depend on, yet are distinct from and distinctively efficacious with respect to, lower-level physical configurations and features. These appearances give rise to two key questions. First, what is metaphysical emergence, more precisely? Second, is there any metaphysical emergence, in principle and moreover in fact? Metaphysical Emergence provides clear and systematic answers to these questions. Wilson argues that there are two, and only two, forms of metaphysical emergence of the sort seemingly at issue in the target cases: 'Weak' emergence, whereby a dependent feature has a proper subset of the powers of the feature upon which it depends, and 'Strong' emergence, whereby a dependent feature has a power not had by the feature upon which it depends. Weak emergence unifies and illuminates seemingly diverse accounts of non-reductive physicalism; Strong emergence does the same as regards seemingly diverse anti-physicalist views positing fundamental novelty at higher levels of compositional complexity. After defending the in-principle viability of each form of emergence, Wilson considers whether complex systems, ordinary objects, consciousness, and free will are actually metaphysically emergent. She argues that Weak emergence is quite common, and that there is Strong emergence in the important case of free will.
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Metaphysical Emergence provides a detailed analyses of two ways for phenomena to be grounded in and yet distinct from underlying physical reality, and brings this to bear on a number of live debates in metpahysics, including those concerning consciousness and free will.
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1: Key issues and questions 2: Two schemas for metaphysical emergence 3: The viability of Weak emergence 4: The viability of Strong emergence 5: Complex systems 6: Ordinary objects 7: Consciousness 8: Free will 9: Metaphysical emergence: next steps
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[...] this book is a staggeringly impressive work of a philosopher at the very top of her game. Its main significance will be in providing an authoritative and comprehensive conceptual framework for metaphysical emergence that should be used to formulate claims of emergence across science and philosophy going forward. [...] This book should also be essential reading for those engaged with specific debates about the metaphysical emergence of complex systems, ordinary objects, consciousness, and free will. Wilson's book lays new conceptual foundations that provide hope for progress in all of these debates.'
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Jessica M. Wilson is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on general metaphysics, metaphysics of science and mind, and philosophical methodology. Wilson was co-recipient of the 2014 Lebowitz Prize for Philosophical Achievement and Contribution, and 2022 University of Toronto Scarborough Research Excellence Faculty Scholar.
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An up-to-date presentation of the powers-based approach to emergence Provices a systematic and unified approach to issues surrounding metaphysical emergence Technicalities are kept to a minimum, and debates are introduced in clear terms
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780198883470
Publisert
2023
Utgiver
Vendor
Oxford University Press
Vekt
528 gr
Høyde
235 mm
Bredde
158 mm
Dybde
19 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
336

Forfatter

Biographical note

Jessica M. Wilson is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on general metaphysics, metaphysics of science and mind, and philosophical methodology. Wilson was co-recipient of the 2014 Lebowitz Prize for Philosophical Achievement and Contribution, and 2022 University of Toronto Scarborough Research Excellence Faculty Scholar.